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[color=#800080;]Meredith quickly dropped her Light Rifle, and shot the Elite that had been looking at the doctor in the face with her shotgun. A Jackal was firing on the scientists, and Meredith ran up to it. Once she was in range, she shot it repeatedly, as it had shields up. It died. Her shotgun was empty.[/color]

[color=#800080;]She picked up her Light Rifle and turned to the scientists. She said, "Where is the artifact?"[/color]

[color=#daa520;]IC: Matthew Formigan [Earth - 12:56][/color]

[color=#daa520;]Matt sat at the war table. No one at the table was happy to be their. No one. One of the men said, "Any recent developments?" Another, more highly ranked said, "Other than the breach of the attacking ship being led by Master Chief, there has been one. Covenant have entered the lab were the Janus Key is being kept."[/color]

[color=#daa520;]Matt spoke up. "We need to take decisive action. We should send a strike team in to get the key half, and leave the Infinity with it. Get it to Earth. Put it under extreme defensive measures." Some members of the military council nodded at this suggestion. Others frowned.[/color]

Another elite came in, armed with a Storm Rifle. He appeared to be an Elite Major. Also a suicide grunt came in, charging at Black. The Elite kept his distance, so as not to get killed. He fired his storm rifle at Black, reducing her shields.

...

OOC: Allow me to be in your little discussion

IC:

One of the chiefs at the table was not very happy. "Well let me tell you this young man. If we bring the key here, then the Covenant will bring their forces to Earth and rip this planet apart until they find that key." The chief was around 60 years of age, with a slight country accent.

IC: Q replied with a simple "Roger." and began running towards the specified bay. The young soldier made his way through the hallways of the UNSC Infinity. The Spartan glanced at his radar as he rounded a corner. Two yellow dots suddenly popped up on the circular display.

The intimidating armored man stepped into view of Tony and Beth. The green lenses on his helmet zoomed in as he looked down at the mangled corpse of a Hunter. He stepped over the shield and walked over to the two.

"Private Evans. I've just received orders to gather up troops for an assault on their supercarrier. Are either one of you a commissioned officer by chance?"

[color=#800080;]Meredith started to fire her Light Rifle into the Grunt's head, killing it. She moved away, firing the Light Rifle at the Elite, and pulled out a couple of grenades, keeping her fire on the Elite. She pulled out the pins, and threw them at the entrance, knowing her support upgrade would increase the blasts.[/color]

[color=#daa520;]IC: Matthew Formigan [Earth-12:57][/color]

[color=#daa520;]Matt angrily responded, "Who are you calling 'young man'?! I'm older than you! Look, we need to get the Key off the Infinity! Hide it somewhere! It doesn't have to be Earth! We could hide it Balaho if we need. Anywhere other than the Infinity."[/color]

"Look it doesn't matter where he hide it, the Covenant will find it, trash the base keeping it, and take the key. But if your gonna hide, do it far from Covenant space. If they can't reach it, then we're screwed." He then get's off of his chair. He seems to have muscular build to him, even though he's old. "We need a strike package to send those God loving ####### back to where they came from. Then, we can get the key to a safe location." He looked around, some of them were discussing the issue among themselves in whispers.

....

The Elite growled as he fired away his last round into Black, then he was blown away by the grenade. More kept pouring in, Jackals, Elites, and Grunts. But they seem to be coming in small waves of troops of about two or four.

The imprisoned Spartans were soon ushered into the hanger, in many ways the nerve center of the ship and a veritable half of activity. Atop one of the raised platforms, a Sangheili Major flanked by two Minors, looked down upon a group of humans and jackals swarming around two Type-52 Troop Carriers, frantically preparing the purple landing craft for a high risk mission. Seraph Starfighters hung from the ceiling, ready to be deployed into combat at any moment. Phalanxs of Jackals, Humans and Elites, were scrambling to various points in the ship, making ready to repel any other boarding attempts. The song of the workcrew could be heard, if only slightly, above the fray of battle.

“It’s always the old to lead us to the wars

Always the young to fall

Now look at all we’ve won

With a saber and gun

Tell me was it worth it all?”

A door near the Spartans and their Ghost escorts opened, revealing a squad of battle-bruised Special Operations Sangheili, led by an officer sporting a bloodied bandage across part of his chest. The lead Sangheili seemed to eye one of the Phantom for a moment, before marching towards it with his squad. The work crews continued to sing, trying to keep spirits high.

“For I flew the final mission

In the Japanese skies

Set off the mighty mushroom roar

When I saw the cities burning

I knew that I was learnin’

That I ain’t a marchin anymore.”

It was an odd song, alien voices mixed with human voices. It was an odd sight really, Humans, Jackals, Elites, all united in a common cause. Working together seamlessly, as if this were the natural state of things, not a fluke or a miracle, as was commonly thought by those who looked upon the divided galaxy.

“Now the labor leaders screamin when they close missile plants

United Fruit screams at the Cuban Shore

Call it peace or call it treason

Call it love or call it reason

But I ain’t a marchin anymore…”

The song and the sounds of activity faded as the Spartans were ushered into yet another hallway. “No fear gents. Nearly there, when I said we weren’t handing you over to the Covenant, I was not lying.” Rommel’s voice was still level and genial, as if the war didn’t exist.

Upon the bridge, Henrietta eyed the Infinity, a massive ship, full of troops both friendly and hostile. Boarding such a ship would be difficult. “Rommel. Focus all available ship-to-ship weapons upon the side of the vessel. As far away from any major troop concentration as possible, we don’t want to be swarmed the second we’re aboard.” The AI pinged his acknowledgement and once more, the Defiance spit fire and fury at the Infinity.

OOC: Credit for the song to: Phil Ochs - I Ain't Marching Anymore

Edited by Basilisk, Apr 02 2013 - 09:48 PM.

0

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

OOC: The song Transformers - There Is No Plan would fit for the Bruce part here. Sort of describes his thoughts.

IC - Defiance, UNSC Infinity - 13:00, Thursday

[color=#ff0000;]Bruce took in the sight. It was sad, seeing this many people actually turn against the UNSC as a whole because of the information he saw. Elites, for the insurrection at Sanghelios. ODSTs and other humans, for the Spartan-II program. Jackals, for...who knows what? ONI wasn't everything the UNSC stood for. It wasn't the civilians, or the defeat of the Flood, or the end of the original Covenant. It was that dark but sometimes necessary shadow in the background...and with the Spartan-II's, it ended up helping save all life.[/color]

[color=#ff0000;]He kept it to himself, knowing that the crew here had likely considered that. To them, the evil in the UNSC outweighed the good. To Bruce, the good outweighed the evil. That was all that could be said on the matter.[/color]

[color=#ff0000;]That song...sounded like it was from Earth. The deep, hoarse voices of the Elites, the shrill screeches of the Jackals...all singing it together. Bruce was no stranger to inter-species unity, but it was shocking to see humans and Elites together against the UNSC instead of for it.[/color]

[color=#ff0000;]He barely heard Rommel's voice, though he appreciated not being handed over to the Covenant. Such a thing would have been a death sentence.[/color]

---

The Infinity shook again, though the explosion seemed less powerful. A Mongoose in a vehicle bay not far from the area that had been shot was tipped over. A Marine ran up to Lasky. "Sir, we're under fire from the Corvette. The frigates can't fire their MAC rounds when the Corvette is this close.

Lasky considered a course of action. A vehicle bay could send in an attack force too small for ship-to-ship weapons to target. "Track the IFF tags of the captured Spartans."

The Marine did so. "They're on the opposite end of the ship from where the weapons are."

"Perfect." Lasky sent a transmission to some Spartans in the area of the vehicle bay. "Take a Broadsword and fire high-grade explosives."

Five Broadswords flew out of the Infinity, scattering in various directions. As AA turrets no doubt fired on them, some Broadswords were damaged. They swarmed around the bow of the Defiance, dodging the best they could. One Broadsword suddenly got into an attacking position, ready to fire its missile. Naturally, it was shot down before it could even begin to so. Its wing came off, sending it spiraling away, though the Spartan inside jumped out. "Decoy successful, awaiting extraction." He was much too small for AA turrets to hit him, so he just waited.

Meanwhile, a Broadsword fired a missile, though it was another decoy. As the missile was intercepted by gunfire, it turned out to be a conventional explosive. Two more Broadswords fired simultaneously, but were intercepted in the same way while the one that had already fired was shot down by AA turrets.

As the series of explosions continued, the fifth Broadsword made it out of the turret-protected zone for a while, using the others as a distraction, and fired its missile.

A shockingly large explosion resulted, just below a weak nuclear strike. Just enough to keep the area where Bruce and his Spartans were completely intact. As for the rest...

The ship shook as the missile gouged a great hole in some of the lower support structure. Henrietta cursed as she held onto her chair for dear life. “Rommel! Damage report!” Warning klaxons switched on as the tiny vessel was tossed and crew members lost their footing. The AI’s holographic avatar appeared before his captain, looking distraught. “It could have been worse, but another shot like that…..the damage will be severe. Most severe. I advise we retreat. We have collaborators. We have prisoners. We can get our intelligence from them….in fact, our new partners have been most forthcoming. Passwords. Security codes….I slipped into their system. I grabbed as much as I could before I was locked out.” Rommel winced, Roland had been very quick on the uptake.

Henrietta nodded. A partial victory was better than no victory. “Activate the slipspace drive. We. Are. Leaving.” The AI nodded and tapped into the vessels systems…and then, with a flash, the corvette that had wounded the Infinity so, was gone. Few ships could say that they had gone toe to toe with such a mighty vessel and come out of it intact, the Defiance was added to that august number. The Corvette had entered the safety of slipspace, away from the battle and its chaos. Henerietta remained on the bridge, watching the crew stopped clinging to their consoles for dear life, watching as things started to return to normal. The Defiance would need repairs; hopefully Bak’s people would provide them. Their government was weak, but her money was still good in their ports.

Rommel had magnetized the hallway the second the ship had begun to shake, keeping the Ghosts and the Spartans in position. “Impressive. Someone on the Infinity knows what they’re doing.” The AI paused for a moment. “You fought well today Spartan. Though your comrades do not seem as inclined to take prisoners as we.”

OOC: The second part of tactics, after the insane stuff I pulled…knowing when to fold them.

Well played TNG. Well played. I knew from the start that winning a stand up right without taking out the Infinity entirely was impossible, it was matter of how long I could last….and that threshold has been passed. The most important part of warfare-know when a mission is untenable.

For he who fights and runs away,

May live to fight another day;

But he who is in battle slain

Can never rise and fight again.

— Oliver Goldsmith, "The Art of Poetry on a New Plan (1761)"

Edited by Basilisk, Apr 03 2013 - 01:15 AM.

0

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

OOC: Thanks, Basilisk. You've taught me a few things with this battle.

IC - Defiance, UNSC Infinity, Didact's Vengeance - 13:04, Thursday

[color=#ff0000;]Bruce fell over, nearly slamming into one of the Ghosts. He felt a Spartan land on his back as the explosion's tremor shook the Defiance. Initially, he felt irritation. This day was getting crazier and crazier. Then, he realized the implications of such a quake. The ship had been hit with something big.[/color]

[color=#ff0000;]Beneath his helmet's visor, for the first time today, he was smiling.[/color]

[color=#ff0000;]It did not last. His suit suddenly detected a combination of radiation and energy that could mean only one thing. Slipspace. But he had just passed the boarding party getting ready...good. They didn't manage to get on. [/color]

[color=#ff0000;]Now, Bruce wondered, as did all the Spartans with him, where they were going to be dropped.[/color]

---

Cheers erupted from the Marines, filling the ship's bridge. Lasky understood why. That Corvette had given them heck. Rogues, allied with the Covenant, forced to retreat. It was a victory, at least for now. But at the same time, there were Spartans on that ship...and six of them had betrayed the UNSC as well.

Lasky did not say anything on the subject. This was no time to strike a blow against his troops' morale. He mustered up a positive look and tone. "All right! We showed them what happens when you mess with the UNSC! Now let's take these Covies out!"

A frigate exploded, signifying the loss of another crew. Though Lasky had done his best to keep morale up, the Marines looked dismal again. "How are the engines?"

"The Engineers are almost done by the look of things, sir. They're doing that tentacle looping thing they always do when they're finishing." The Marine pointed to the viewscreen monitoring the ship's aft.

"Good. Turn the ship to port and fire the main battery as soon as you can. That's Jul 'Mdama's ship. That's the Didact's Vengeance."

---

Five Spartans, the four who had volunteered to board the ship, along with the Pelican's pilot, were now fighting for their lives, trying to hold their position in the hallway. A Spartan with a Sniper Rifle took cover behind another, who held up a Hardlight Shield. Grunts, Jackals, and Elites fell with ease, through the red ring of a Crawler Snipe suddenly shocked him out of his scope. "Whoa!"

His partner managed to defend him, but his Hardlight Shield ran out of charge and he had to fire his Magnum at the Crawler. Before he could take its Binary Rifle, two Promethean Knights had already teleported in--and one had a Binary Rifle of its own. "We could use some backup!"

Behind them, three Spartans were already holding off two Hunters. One used his Hardlight Shield in short bursts, defending his partner from the deadly fuel rods as he shot from a distance with his Battle Rifle. The other was furiously grabbing Plasma Grenades from dead Covenant forces and sticking them to the Hunters. He cursed as one of the grenades stuck the Hunter's shield, dealing minimal damage.

Meanwhile, the two Spartans on the other side were doing their best to avoid the Suppressors of the Knights, though they were running low on ammo. The Spartan with the Hardlight Shield managed to pull out his Plasma Pistol and use the last of it to take down a Knight's shield, but the other Knight knocked him over with a powerful swing of its sword.

The Knight that had lost its shield ejected a Watcher from its back, which began to summon Crawlers. During that time, one of the Spartans managed to run around it and get behind. As soon as the shieldless Knight was upright again, it was turned around and faceless. The face of the Knight disintegrated, torn off, in the Spartan's hand, just as the collapsing body did the same. The victory was short-lived.

Another Crawler Snipe landed a shot right on his head, disintegrating him before the Knight had even finished its own disintegration. Their burning dust clouds became indistinguishable from each other. The Spartan hardly had time to notice the loss of his friend before a Ghost drove towards the hallway entrance. "This is madness!"

[color=#006400;]From the side, a metal green foot slammed into an Elite's face. With a roar, he fell out of his Ghost as a legendary Spartan took his place. The Ghost backed up, and with perfect timing and aim, slammed into the Elite and crushed him against the wall. The Ghost sped towards the pack of Crawlers and the Knight, crushing them. Chief pressed a button, slowing the Ghost down, then jumped out as it slowed to a halt. [/color]

[color=#006400;]He landed in front of all four Spartans, Fuel Rod Cannon in his hands, and fired repeatedly at a Hunter. As it fell, its brother fired back. Chief jumped aside, grabbing a Spartan and pulling him out of the way as well with a spinning motion, then grabbed the Fuel Rod Cannon again and fired three times. The powerful explosions incinerated the Hunter's Lekgolo and scorched its armor. Massive corpses lay in their own blood where two dangerous Covenant troops once were.[/color]

The Spartan who he pulled aside stood again and dusted himself off. "Where have you been?"

[color=#006400;]"The generators back there are down. This carrier won't be deploying any more battlecruisers any time soon. We need to wait for the boarding party. Hold position a little longer." Chief picked up a Covenant Carbine from the corpse of a Jackal, then placed it on his back. He reloaded his Fuel Rod Cannon and kept his Plasma Pistol and Magnum on his hip magnets. He said nothing, expecting the other Spartans to get weapons as well. This mission was anything but over.[/color]

Greg, weapons master of the ship Defiance, entered onto the ships bridge within only a few minutes following the battles end, coming up near the captain with a number of long strides. "We lost a lot more ammunition and took more equipment damage than I would have liked." he said. "We're going to need to pick up more supplies wherever we dock ship for repairs, I'm afraid. The crew?"

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

Edited by Toa Levacius Zehvor, Apr 03 2013 - 07:52 AM.

0

"I disapprove of what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Henrietta keyed a few buttons on the arm of hair command chair, bringing up a hologram of the Defiance. Most of it was still intact, minus minor cosmetic damage, but the lower support structure, beneath the body of the Corvette proper, was quite damaged. "Thankfully that was a crew-light zone. We didn't lose anyone down there. However, the boarding action in the landing bay cost us. Most of them were unarmed workers. Medics are trying to save who they can but...." It was rather telling that they had gone out of their way to take prisoners whilst the UNSC attacked first, attacked again, and never even bothered asking questions. "If all goes as planned however ,we won't have any manpower issues."

Edited by Basilisk, Apr 03 2013 - 03:51 PM.

0

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

[color=#800080;]The last twenty minutes had been bad for Meredith. Very bad. First she got shot in the leg, ran out of grenades, her handgun ran out of ammo, her Light Rifle ran out of a charge, and at least ten doctors were dead. Meredith was sitting on the floor, leaning up against the wall, cradling a Scattershot she had taken off a Knight.[/color]

[color=#800080;]An Elite entered the room and was hit by a volley of solid light bullets. The only reason Meredith was still alive was because the door was a chokepoint. The Covenant was forced into a one by one line when entering, which prevented them from swarming the female SPARTAN-IV.[/color]

[color=#daa520;]IC: Matthew Formigan [Earth - 13:03][/color]

[color=#daa520;]"It doesn't matter where we hide the Key! What matters is that we get it out of the Infinity! There is only one SPARTAN-IV guarding it, and it is a miracle she is not dead! A miracle! Once she dies, the Covenant has the Janus Key! Where we hide the Key doesn't matter right now. We need to send in a strike team, remove the Key, get it off ship, and hide it!"[/color]

[color=#daa520;]Matt sat back down. He felt he swayed most of the members of the council in the war room to his side.[/color]

Henrietta hesitated for a moment, just a moment, before nodding. “We have two options, we can slink back into the shadows and hope ONI doesn’t come searching for us with the high-powered laser turret shaped searchlights…or we can expand. The time for hiding is going to end, sooner or later….and I think it best to do it on our terms. Rommel?” The AI flickered to life next to Henerietta, looking somewhat wary.

“That battle was a strain on the old systems I’m afraid.” The AI’s holographic avatar yawned. “However, I’ve stumbled on two pieces of intelligence that might be of interest. A Spartan-III in a deep freeze at an ONI base……and…” The Corvette’s hologram disappeared, replaced with the bulk of a Destroyer. “….This.”

0

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

[color=#800080;]Meredith spoke up, "Finally! Some back up! And a SPARTAN-II no less. I don't know where or what the thing we are guarding is, but it hasn't been taken yet. The Covenant wants it badly. I got shot in the leg, but I can still fire this Scattershot."[/color]

Rommel bowed. "That is the best part mein comrades. The same location. The destroyer is attached to a research station in orbit and the Spartan is on a facility on planet. Pegasi Delta. Lightly defended. ONI doesn't like having the military around to poke their heads into their dirty little operations." The AI paused and look at the hologram. "She is a beauty. Fully operational shields, weapons....and only a skeleton crew aboard. Going to pull her apart for her tech. A bad fate for such a fine vessel."

0

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

Henrietta rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Two names come to mind, Justice or Liberty. Both represent our goals rather well. Shall we put it to a vote gentlemen?"

Edited by Basilisk, Apr 03 2013 - 04:51 PM.

0

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

"So be it then. The Liberty. It fits better I think, for do we not fight for the liberty of all races?" What parent, no matter the species, did not fear for their children? Even Jackals, widely regarded as pirates and greedy thieves, were willing to lay down their lives for their young ones. That was why so many of the normally selfish race had joined them after all. If the UNSC was willing to do that to it's own children.....what then would it do to theirs if given the chance?

0

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

The former ONI agent clasped her hands together. “There is one way to find out. Once we enter the system, we send a burst transmission to every computer, PDA or the like within the two bases. If they stay true to ONI, lovely, we’ll have to kill them….but if some join us, start fighting the others, we gain valuable intelligence. A win-win situation…..though, we’ll need to stop at Slag for repairs first.” The Jackal clan who owned that hollowed out hunk of rock were sympathetic to their cause and gave them excellent rates as a result.

-----

The Spartans were ushered into the brig after a few more minutes of marching, it was a simple enough affair, a few large cells blocked off by energy shields, with a small table in the center for guards. Said guards consisted of one Elite Major, two Humans and four Jackals, all quite well-armed. The elite stood up, revealing a scarred face and a missing eye. “These the boarders?” His voice was gruff, even for an Elite, one got the impression something was wrong with his throat.

Rommel’s voice seemed to come from the walls themselves. “Affirmative Yers. Which cell?”

Yers shrugged. “Split them into two groups. One in A and the other in D.”

0

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

"Yes, but hopefully we don't find something from our armory being stolen again." he replied. Slag was a good place to get repairs and equipment; however, jackals were jackals, and somebody always thought trying to steal one of his beauties was a good idea.

Toa Levacius Zehvor

0

"I disapprove of what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

[color=rgb(255,0,0);]This must be the brig's warden. Clearly a battle-scarred Elite. This one must have been through a lot in the original war with the Covenant. Despite his appearance, he seemed rather indifferent to it all. Experience did sometimes do that. [/color]

One of the Spartans laughed. "Hey, Cyclops. Where can we use the bathroom?"

[color=rgb(255,0,0);]Bruce said nothing, though he didn't approve of the Spartan's behavior. On one hand, their captors were very civilized. On the other hand, they were against the UNSC. The other Spartans had mixed reactions, something between laughing and coughing. It sounded almost as strange as Yers' voice.[/color]

[color=rgb(255,0,0);]---[/color]

[color=#40e0d0;]A Spartan in white Scout armor ran into the room where Tony, Ilja, and Beth were. Palmer was unarmed, but clearly running for a weapons rack. The Spartans noticed two DMRs, two Assault Rifles, and three Magnums on it. A swarm of Crawlers charged at her, which brought attention to the stray energy floating around her armor. She was shieldless.[/color]

[color=#40e0d0;]She climbed up onto the rack, picking up two Magnums, and then hid behind it. The Crawlers rushed, though her shield regenerated alarmingly fast. The Shielding tactical package.[/color]

[color=#40e0d0;]She stepped out of her cover. Time to show these Prometheans how a Spartan should act. With a Magnum in each hand, she landed a shot in each Crawler's head within seconds. They popped in flashes of orange, leaving heaping piles of scrap metal on the ground. [/color]

[color=#40e0d0;]Palmer walked over to the wall, got a medkit from the wall, and tossed it to the Spartans. "Biofoam and the works. Heal up and get moving, pansies."[/color]

Henrietta shrugged. “I’ll post guards in the armories.” She inclined her head towards Bak, the communication officer had been making a show of not listening in. “Our crew seems loyal enough. I doubt there will be any incidents.”

----

Yers didn’t respond to the verbal jab, he’d seen an entire lance ground to nothing underneath the weight of a column of flood-controlled Scorpion tanks and then he’d led the counter attack on them. It had been disgusting, dangerous work. His throat still wasn’t quite right after inhaling those spores. It had been many years since then, many tears and many battles. Peace had seemed like a possibility after that but….ONI had ruined that. He eyed the belligerent Spartan. “You lost your right to privacy when you boarded this vessel. You’ll find accommodations have been made in the cells.” Wasn’t too different from what they did in some prisons on Earth from what he understood.

“Meals will be served in the morning and the afternoon. Rollouts will be provided for you to sleep on.” He paused for a moment, and then entered into a violent coughing fit, purple blood spattering on the floor beneath him, soon enough, it subsided. “You’ll be staying here until we can find some planet to dump you on. Figure you lot will last long enough in the wilderness.” Without any further words, the Spartans were prodded into their cells by the Ghosts

Edited by Basilisk, Apr 03 2013 - 09:11 PM.

0

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

"Well then, send a strike team over there and retrieve that key." Then an update came in. A Spartan II has arrived at the scene and is aiding Black. "Looks like we got one of the best there now. But still, send a strike team over there. I don't want to take any chances."

[color=#ff0000;]Bruce almost felt pity for his coughing, one-eyed captor. He, like all Spartans, was merciless in a fight. He slaughtered each foe without the slightest hesitance. He cared for his friends and allies, his mission, and himself. He cared nothing for the enemies, at least during the fire of combat. But these rogues were different from the Covenant. They were not evil at all.[/color]

[color=#ff0000;]They only had a different viewpoint, and they put it into action. Some of their actions threatened what Bruce cared about, so if the time came again, he knew he would fight and kill with no problem at all. He was a soldier, a Spartan. If they surrendered? By all means, he would return their courtesy in treating prisoners well. If need be, he would personally visit their cells to make sure they received their basic needs. Though at the moment, he was in no position to kill or capture even one of them.[/color]

The Spartans stepped into their cells. Bruce sat in a corner, trying to keep alert while preserving his energy. Another simply stood, arms crossed. Yet another laid down to rest, while the one in the cell next to him angrily began to punch and kick the wall. Another Spartan actually did use his 'accomodations', though he wasn't the one who made the joke about bathrooms.

He was quite thankful for his helmet. After a while, the 'accomodations' would smell atrocious to any prisoner without one.

---

[color=#000080;]The holo-panel displayed HUD feedback from the Elites, showing the Janus Key's other half slip in and out of view. The battle raged on...though not for long. The assault had worn down the Spartans, and suddenly, it stopped.[/color]

[color=#000080;]Corpses littered the lab. The only living Covenant stepped away from the door...though the Spartans inside couldn't figure out why. Even the Spartan-II knew that it was not loss of troops or fear that stopped these Covenant...but what?[/color]

[color=#000080;]The answer came in a second. Fire blocked the view from the door opening, blazing violently. A series of explosions hurled the door to the other side of the room, and when the fire cleared, a Promethean Knight Commander was standing there. The remaining Covenant forces stood on each side of the Commander, then charged. [/color]

[color=#000080;]Screams erupted from the Elites, Jackals, and Grunts, all different voices, all different species, but they were not of fear or even of rage. They were screams of excitement, intertwined with maniacal laughter. Plasma grenades and gunfire filled the room, both sides battling it out, but the Commander did not charge with the rest. One who could teleport had no need to run into battle, and teleport it did. Reaching out with the small black arms from its chest, it grabbed the Key's half. Whatever gunfire hit it was taken by its shields, and with the blast of an Incineration Cannon aimed at the defenders, it was gone. The blue flash of its teleportation gave proof of its departure.[/color]

[color=#000080;]The distraction was over, and the Covenant forces rushed away. Perfect. All over the ship, as the Sangheili at the holo-panel could attest, Covenant were retreating. Not only Grunts retreating in fear, but all of them--and without even a trace of fear. The Spartans fought to keep them at bay, yes, but they did not need to fight or kill. Covering fire and fast feet were all they needed. They did not need to win. They already had.[/color]

[color=#000080;]Once the key had been found, the Sangheili knew, it was only a matter of distracting the fools long enough to take it. He turned from the holo-panel to the comm array. "Bitaio ni redien tokare nunsha. Mortunkaion-CCS, shun retu Phantoms. Hunakan Forerunner Prometheans, haminus rokane Janus Key! Toros!" For the first time in months, Jul 'Mdama's roaring voice spoke with no anger, but satisfaction and triumph.[/color]

[color=#000080;]---[/color]

Outside the Infinity, Pelicans and Broadswords swarmed, all blazing with the fury of their own guns. Phantoms in equal numbers swarmed as well in some places, and in others, greater numbers. The colossal battle was only dwarfed by that of the Covenant Battlecruisers and UNSC Frigates that had deployed them. MAC rounds, laser batteries, and missiles collided, hit their marks, and missed entirely, all in equal numbers. The entire bow of the UNSC Warrior's Spirit went up in flames, then went down as scrap metal.

Lasky received several transmissions, putting many of them on hold, though taking note of one. He turned to the ship's navigator. "The engines are back up. Move the Huragok to the blast rooms, we can't afford to lose them. Turn the ship to port and give Jul 'Mdama our regards!

From the Infinity's bridge to every functional speaker, a message was relayed. Some recognized the voice, others did not. Everyone recognized the service number. [color=rgb(0,100,0);]"This is Spartan-117 to any available troops. We need backup so we can storm the Didact's Vengeance."[/color]

His voice was followed by Lasky's yet again. "They've taken that artifact on board the ship and they're evacuating their troops! Our frigates are losing out there, so we don't have much time! They can't hold off the Phantoms forever! Get back there and retrieve that artifact! For all we know, it could mean the extinction of the human race if we lose it!"

There was no need to defend the ship. No one was attacking it anymore. There was only the artifact now.

[color=#800080;]Meredith was being carried out of the room by the SPARTAN-II. She couldn't walk, but could fire her Shattershot. She grabbed a radio and started fiddling with it. She spoke into it, "Get me to Earth Command! The Janus Key half has been taken! I repeat: The Key half has been take!"[/color]

[color=#daa520;]IC: Matthew Formigan [Earth-13:17][/color]

[color=#daa520;]Matt listened to the message. The war room's assembled council was saddened. Matt looked at the one chief and said, "If you had listened to me earlier, we would have Key. Humanity's coming genocide rests squarely on your shoulders." Many members glared at the chief.[/color]

Well don't just look at me, send someone out there and retrieve that key! Send them out now! Every second counts here people, even if they have the key right now, they are still on board. If we send someone out there now and intercept them, we could be home free."

The Defiance emerged from slipspace, emerging from the electric blue portal with the aid of its intact engines. Thankfully, it appeared the UNSC had its hands full with the Covenant and wouldn’t be pursuing them today. Henrietta let out a sigh of relief, she didn’t want to call in the favors the local merchant clan owed her quite yet. “Rommel. Take us in to dock. Hail Gek and his boys and tell them we’ll be needing repairs. Normal rates.” Gek was related to Bak by blood, in fact, her communications officer was his son. Something that didn’t hurt their reputation on the Slag, granted, father and son weren’t on the best of terms, but such was the way of some families.

The Slag stood before them, floating in the center of a small field of asteroids, a massive combination of asteroid and space station. It had been a Covenant Mining base once, but after the war, the Jackal Clans had more or less taken over.

0

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

OOC: Actually, Gek was the given name of an Elite, formerly 'Mdama's second in command. He's dead now though.

IC - Defiance, UNSC Infinity - 13:22, Thursday

[color=#ff0000;]Bruce's suit stopped displaying the radiation readings. The slipspace jump was over. He wondered where they were. The ship had been shot....it was either a repair stop or the uninhabited world where they would be dropped. He sent a private comm to his Spartans.[/color]

[color=#ff0000;]At the first chance, we take some weapons. We won't kill them unless they try to kill us, though.[/color]

---

Another transmission rang out, but this time in the helmets of every single Spartan on the Infinity. "Get your lazy hides on that ship, or there'll be heck to pay! Are you disobeying a direct order?! ****ing ****, we've been giving you this order repeatedly for the past hour or so! Mother****!"

The voice clearly wasn't the captain, though it was someone on the bridge. Someone, clearly irritated.

Lasky turned to a Marine. "All right, we need to slow 'em down! This should do it!"

The Infinity was now facing the bow of the Vengeance, and two white-hot flares appeared on the front. They rushed forward as beams, the powerful attack of the main laser battery. The assault carrier suddenly shook with the force of a thousand explosions, which there most certainly were inside. "Clean hit!"

---

[color=#000080;]Jul 'Mdama stood on the quaking ground as the Elites around him fell to it, or on one knee. As long as the ship could move, things were fine...but in the meantime...[/color]

[color=rgb(0,0,128);]The remaining CCS-class Battlecruisers broke formation and entered slipspace. They rushed far away, seemingly retreating, then came out of slipspace--lightyears away from the Infinity. They elevated and entered slipspace again...[/color]

---

UNSC Frigates began to fire on the assault carrier, though against a ship that size, it was nearly useless. The Vengeance deployed hundreds of plasma torpedoes, rushing into the crowd of ships.

"Shoot them down!"

Pelicans and Broadswords, firing their machine guns as fast as they could, set off the torpedoes and detonated several others with a chain of explosions. The torpedoes, guided by the Vengeance, spread out and destroyed nearly every frigate there.

The Infinity began to charge up another blast to hit the Vengeance, but the Covenant battlecruisers came out of slipspace...right above it. Energy projectors charged up under them.

"They're glassing!"

Lasky turned to the Marine. There were no planets anywhere. "Glassing what?"

"They're glassing--"

A huge series of explosions struck the top of the Infinity, sending a tremor throughout the ship.. "US!"

The man who had given the order filled with cuss words sent a transmission to the Spartans again. "Well, now look! We're being glassed! GET THAT **** KEY, OR ANY OF YOU WHO SURVIVE WILL BE DISCHARGED OR WORSE!"

Lasky sent an order to the three remaining frigates. Three frigates, three battlecruisers. They might have a chance. "Leave the boarding to the Spartans, and they'll leave the glassing to you!"

The frigates fired MAC rounds at the battlecruisers, severely damaging them. Pulse laser turrets fired on them in response. At the end of this all, the Infinity had no chance of keeping in good condition...

[color=#800080;]The SPARTAN-II dropped Meredith off at the med bay, and ran as fast as he could to get to the Vengeance. Meredith lay bacl, and a nurse moved over put biofoam on Meredith's injured leg.[/color]

[color=#daa520;]IC: Matthew Formigan [Earth-13:24][/color]

[color=#daa520;]The last seven minutes had been a hectic mess. People were calling all available ships. Matt picked up a phone and punched in a certain number. He tossed it to a translator and said, "Greetings, Arbitor. My name is Matthew Formigan of Earth. The USC Infinity is being raided by Storm Covenant. We need your help on board." The translator repeated what Matt had said.[/color]

Rommel’s voice rang through the halls of the injured corvette, reaching the ears of workers, guards and the wounded. “Attention all personal, we’re going to be docking with the Slag very shortly. I don’t need to remind you about the rules we need to follow; I’ll be doing so anyhow however. I'm bored. Travel in groups, that fellow offering you a deal that is too good to be true is in fact, lying and the deal is, in fact, too good to be true. Don’t start anything with the locals and if they try to start something with you, report it to the bigger, meaner locals. All guards in Alpha detail, to your posts. The armory sustained no damage during the battle and there is no reason the repair crews would need access to it. Anyone trying to gain access is a thief. Deal with them. That about covers it.” The Slag was a fairly safe place, thanks to Gek’s Clan, who were far more interested in trade then piracy….but they weren’t the only clan active on it, just the strongest.

In the brig, the small group of guards was still clustered around the table, in the midst of a card game. One of them, a human female shook her head. “If this place is so bloody dangerous why are docking with em?” She laid down her hand and the other players did the same.

One of the Jackals laughed and scooped up the pot. “I win again. You really need to watch your tells Marie.” He shrugged at her question. “Slag’s pretty nice actually. Local governing clan is more powerful then usual. Being mugged there is just a possibility….not a guarantee like a lot of ports in these parts. Other clans will be stirring up trouble though. Stick to the main parts of the station and you’ll be fine. Captain’s being a bit too cautious if you ask me”

Yers rumbled his disapproval. “Your politics are always in flux. Perhaps things have changed, perhaps they are changing. Her caution is wise.”

Edited by Basilisk, Apr 05 2013 - 04:18 PM.

0

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

“Granted. Take along an escort…..and do keep our budget in mind. Those anti-matter charges set us back. Just the essentials, if you show up at my doorstep with a Scarab tank and Wraith platoon I’m not going to be happy.” Henrietta smiled a bit. “Unless of course you stole them, then our only problem would be the ensuing diplomatic ****storm. Those are always fun.”

Edited by Basilisk, Apr 05 2013 - 04:33 PM.

0

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

[color=#8b4513;]Through the phone, the sounds of gunfire were heared, mixed with explosions and the clash of a sword. The accent was fake. Merely a simulation of the Sangheili tongue, though the Arbiter had a translator in his helmet anyway. [/color]

[color=#8b4513;]Even that was redundant, at least when speaking to humans. He ducked under the swing of an Energy Sword and sliced an Elite in half, then stabbed down towards his upper half when it fell, right into his chest. "There is no need for that device. I do speak English."[/color]

[color=#8b4513;]He kicked a Storm Grunt in the face, forcing him to drop his weapon and flee. The Arbiter switched to his Carbine and jumped, then shot the back of the Grunt's head as it came into view. After a quick reload, he began to fire again.[/color]

[color=#8b4513;]"Unless you have something of great importance to the galaxy being raided, I cannot help you. My world has its own problems." A few rounds into the head of an Elite Warrior, and another one of the 'problems' dropped dead.[/color]

[color=#8b4513;]---[/color]

[color=#ff0000;]So it was a repair stop...of sorts. Bruce weighed his options. There was a chance he could get a Jackal to let him out and return him to the UNSC for a price. Even letting him out and having him find his own way back would be better. After all, there was civilization here, no matter how crude, and civilization usually came with comms.[/color]

[color=#ff0000;]Failing that, they could steal a Phantom. He sent a private comm to his Spartans. "This could be our ticket out without needing to camp out on some empty planet. Be ready to make a deal, hit someone in the face, or steal something. Just wait for the right moment."[/color]